by Jack Moffitt

Elect a carrot and finally get what you voted for.

It is that time of year when elections make newspaper filler regularly. Street corners at busy intersection have sprouted the annual crop of election signs. Even if your worst nightmare of a candidate gets elected, you have cast many votes more important to your well being. When you spend money, you are voting. And unlike our city, state and federal elections, you will get what you most frequently vote for when you buy food.

If you buy a lot of refined sugar, white wheat, fatty, type foods – it now seems pretty certain you will have elected high blood pressure, obesity and possibly diabetes as the rulers of your destiny.

If you buy fresh foods at your local farmers market, you have voted for a future with food supply alternatives to the large grocery chain supply pipeline.

When you buy the processed foods that line aisle after aisle of your local grocery store, you support commodity grain growing and food processing conglomerates.

Support your local Farmers Market and local agriculture. Support food supply choices and build the community.

Condolences

Ron Dickerson has been bringing in his crops of green beans, some unusual plants and other products for a couple of years now. His wife Caroline has helped him at several markets. Caroline passed on this week. There will be a card offering condolences at the Market Information booth. Please stop by and sign it if you are a fellow vendor or customer of Mr. Dickerson, so that we can let him know he, and his family, are in our thoughts and prayers.

Harvest Reports

Somehow I missed getting a report from the Graybill Family this week, so I will attempt to give you a projection of the expected Harvests from our local farmers.

This is salad season in the Valley. Lots of lettuces and greens, and carrots. Bunching salad onions are thickening up.

The cool weather and regular rain has made for great harvests of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

Citrus is pretty much harvested and sent down the pipeline. There will be several more weeks of good quality, prices and varieties.

Year round favorites like kettle corn, fruit bowls, sprouts and good cheer will abound.

Commercial spotted at the Market

If you were lucky enough last week, at the right time, to have been in the vicinity of the booth of Alice the baker and purveyor of fine baked wholesome goodies, you would have witnessed the first Farmers Market commercial, complete with official jingle and ukulele accompaniment. It was a first, let’s hope to see more!

See you at the Market!

Your humble correspondent,

Jack Moffitt
bayviewveggies@gmail.com

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The Brownsville Farmers’ Market
Saturdays from 9am – Noon
Linear Park
Harrison St. between E. 6th and E. 7th